Shared Water Resources in the Arab Region: An Overview
29/11/2017
Ziad Khayat First Economic Affairs Officer Water Resources Section Sustainable Development Policies Division (SDPD)
Expert Group Meeting on Pursuing Improved Shared Water Resources Management within the Framework of Global and Regional Agreements
Cairo, 29-30 November 2018 Table of Contents
Introduction: Shared Water Resources in the Arab Region
Shared Water Resources in the Arab Region
Shared Water Resources in the Arab Region
© Copyright ESCWA. All rights reserved. No part of this presentation in all its property may be used or reproduced in any form without written permission Introduction Shared Water Resources in the Arab Region Shared water resources represent two-thirds of fresh water resources in the Arab region.
Euphrates River – Syrian Arab Republic River and Groundwater Basins in the World © BGR Hannover/Page 4 UNESCO, Paris 2012 Shared Surface Water Resources in the Arab Region Shared Surface Water Resources in the Arab Region
– 27 shared Surface water basins with
– 14 of 22 Arab countries are riparian States with a shared waterbody
Page 6 Shared Surface Water Resources in the Arab Region
Shared among: Arabian Sub-Region African Sub-Region
Arab Countries Only Nahr el Kabir al Atui, Dra, Daoura, Jnoubi Guir, Tafna, Oued Bon Naima, Medjerda
Two or More Arab Euphrates, Tigris, Nile, Awash Countries with Non- Orontes, Jordan Arab Countries
One Arab Country Juba-Shibeli, Niger, with Non-Arab Senegal, Gash, Countries Baraka
* Bold indicates Major Basins Page 7 ESCWA-BGR Inventory of Shared Water Resources in Western Asia
The Inventory is… Objectives: the first UN-led effort to take • Identify, and document the stock of the shared surface state of shared water and groundwater resources resources and their use in Western Asia a • Improve the knowledge base comprehensive, systematic and facilitate information and standardized manner. Full report available at: access www.waterinventory.org • Create awareness and Key Themes: stimulate informed dialogue within and between riparian • Hydrology, hydrogeology countries • Water resources • Support regional processes development and use towards improved dialogue and • Agreements and cross- cooperation over shared water border management resources efforts. Euphrates River – Syrian Arab Republic
Page 8 Scope
Full report available at: www.waterinventory.org Covers surface and groundwater resources shared between the Arab States of Western Asia, as well as water resources shared with neighboring non-Arab States
Sub-regions: Arabian Peninsula Mashrek Mesopotamia
Euphrates River – Syrian Arab Republic
Page 9 Content of Inventory
Full report available at: www.waterinventory.org A total of 22 shared aquifer systems and 7 shared rivers were identified.
17 dedicated chapters on shared aquifer systems and 9 basin chapters on shared surface waters, each following a standardized structure and methodology.
624 pages of detailed information with 60 new maps and over 200 figures, tables and boxes. Euphrates River – Syrian Arab Republic
Page 10 Shared River Basins
Euphrates-Tigris- Shatt Al Arab
Orontes River Full report available at: Nahr El Kabir Basin www.waterinventory.org
Jordan River Basin
Qweik River Basin
Based on selection criteria, other smaller shared resources referenced, but do not have Euphrates River – Syriandedicated Arab Republic chapters Page 11 Orontes River Orontes River
• Karstic springs in Bekaa Valley (690 meters altitude) largely feed river upstream (Groundwater- Surface Water interaction) • Groundwater recharge dependent on snow cover in Mount Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains • Additional flows contributed in Syria (Ghab Valley) and from Afrin and Karasu tributaries contribute to flow in Turkey
Page 13 Hydrological baseline and trends
Discharge Variability: Orontes River -visualize trends, drought years
Figure 4. a) Mean annual discharge, b) specific mean annual discharge and c) discharge anomaly time series of the Orontes (1932-2010)
Cooperation:Orontes River Syrian-Lebanese Joint Committee for Shared Water
➢ Bilateral cooperation among riparian countries has been pursued, but dependent upon associated foreign policy issues ▪ Lebanese-Syrian Joint Committee covers 2 Shared Surface Basins ▪ Turkey initially sought to link cooperation on Orontes to negotiations on Euphrates ▪ Hatay Province (Iskandarun) territorial dispute (Syria-Turkey) ➢ No basin-level committee. ➢ Current circumstances render basin-level cooperation unlikely in short term Shared Groundwater Resources in the Arab Region Shared Groundwater Resources in the Arab Region
• Shared groundwater basins cover almost 58% of the Arab region in terms of surface area.
• All Arab countries, with the exception of the Comoros, share one or more of 40 plus aquifers.
Page 18 Shared Groundwater Resources in the Arab Region
AFRICA AF43 Dawa Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia AF44 Jubba Ethiopia, Somalia AF45 Shabelle Ethiopia, Somalia AF53 Baggara Basin CAR, South Sudan, Sudan AF59 African Rift Valley Aquifer Djibouti, Ethiopia AF61 Gedaref Ethiopia, Sudan AF62 Disa Chad, Sudan AF63 Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System Chad, Transboundary Aquifers of the World Egypt, Libya, Sudan © IGRAC 2012 AF64 Taoudeni Basin Algeria, Mali, Mauritania AF65 Tin-Séririne Basin Algeria, Niger ASIA AF66 l'Air Crystalline Aquifer Algeria, Mali, AS1 Western Aquifer Egypt, Israel, Palestine Niger AS2 Coastal Aquifer Israel, Palestine AF67 Mourzouk-Djado Basin Chad, Lybia, AS3 Northeastern Aquifer Israel, Palestine Tunisia AS4 Nahr el Kabir (Cenemonian-Turonian) Israel, Lebanon, AF68 Tindouf Aquifer Algeria, Morocco Syria AF69 Northwest Sahara Aquifer System AS5 Paleogene and Cretaceous aquifers Jordan, Saudi Arabia Algeria, Libya, Tunisia AS6 Paleogene Aquifer Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, AF70 Errachidia Basin Algeria, Morocco Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen AF71 Merti Aquifer Kenya, Somalia AS7 Bazalt-AzraqPage 19 Jordan, Syria More Shared Aquifers than generally understood in Shared Aquifer Systems: Mesozoic and Paleozoic Eras Western Asia (Mesozoic & Paleozoic Eras) Anti-Lebanon - Lebanon, Syria
Western Aquifer Basin - Egypt, Israel, Palestine
Wasia-Biyadh-Aruma Aquifer System (North): Sakaka-Rutba - Iraq, Saudi Arabia
Wasia-Biyadh-Aruma Aquifer System (South): Tawila-Mahra/Cretaceous Sands - Saudi Arabia, Yemen
Ga’ara Aquifer System - Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria
Saq-Ram Aquifer System (West) - Jordan, Saudi Arabia
Wajid Aquifer System - Saudi Arabia, Yemen
Management Challenge: Analysis goes beyond There are Deep delineation of sub-surface Non-Renewable extentEuphrates River – Syrian Arab Republic Aquifer Systems in Arab Region Shared Aquifer Systems: Cenozoic Era
More shared aquifers than generally understood Umm er Radhuma-Dammam Aquifer System (North): Widyan-Salman - Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
Umm er Radhuma-Dammam Aquifer System (Centre): Gulf - Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia
Umm er Radhuma-Dammam Aquifer System (South): Rub’ al Khali - Oman, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen
Neogene Aquifer System (South-East), Dibdibba- Kuwait Group: Dibdibba Delta Basin - Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
Neogene Aquifer System (North-West), Upper and Lower Fars: Jezira Basin - Iraq, Syria
Tawil-Quaternary Aquifer System: Wadi Sirhan Basin - Jordan, Saudi Arabia
Central Hammad Basin - Jordan, Syria
Basalt Aquifer System (South): Azraq-Dhuleil Basin - Jordan, Syria
Basalt Aquifer System (West): Yarmouk Basin -Jordan, Syria
Coastal Aquifer Basin - Egypt, Israel, Palestine
Eastern Aquifer Basin - Israel, Palestine
North-Eastern Aquifer Basin - Israel, Palestine
Jezira TertiaryEuphrates Limestone River Aquifer – Syrian System Arab Republic - Syria, Turkey
Taurus-Zagros - Iran, Iraq, Turkey
Catchment Areas covers: • Anjar Spring • Chamsine Spring • Souairi Spring
➢ Contributes to Litani River in Lebanon, which flows through Bekaa and discharges to Mediterranean Sea (Groundwater-Surface water interaction) ➢ Springs used for irrigation, fish farms (Nexus) ➢ Litani River used for irrigation and hydropower (Nexus) Key Findings from the Inventory
1. There are more shared water 6. There is not a single agreement resources in Western Asia than on shared groundwater resources generally assumed. in the region. (pre Disi agreement) 2. Water quantity and allocation 7. The region's groundwater is dominate the discourse on largely non-renewable and shared water resources in this aquifers are rapidly being water-scarce region. depleted. 3. Water quality is rapidly 8. Groundwater plays an important Full report available at: deteriorating, a fact that is role in surface water basins, a link www.waterinventory.org largely neglected. which is often overlooked. 4. The lack of accurate data 9. A new thinking is required to deal hampers joint water resources with large regional aquifer management. systems from a shared perspective. 5. Cooperation over shared water exists, but is never basin-wide. 10. It is already too late to save some shared waters.
Page 24 Thank you
Ziad Khayat First Economic Affairs Officer Water Resources Section Sustainable Development Policies Division (SDPD)